10 Soundware has announced the release of Feedback model M K, a sound library for Native Instruments Kontakt 5.

Designed by Taichi Furudate, these patches are based on audio captured from a no-input mixer, an instrument contrived by connecting the output of an audio mixer with its input to incite feedback. The fourth in a series of four titles, each centered on a different mixer, this release features a contemporary, workhorse model by an American manufacturer (a model within a series known to have democratized professional quality recording in the 1990’s).

The timbres generated by the mixer used in Mixer Feedback model M K can be described as “like a soft synth”, according to Taichi Furudate. As a reflection of its distinction in its conventional usage, he characterizes its feedback signal in a no-input mixer configuration as “clear and accurate” and “relatively stable and controllable”, in stark contrast to other models in his mixer collection. In this sole sound set in the 10 Soundware Mixer Feedback series to feature a modern, high fidelity mixer, he crosses professional audio equipment with hacker-like ingenuity.

Designed by Taichi Furudate, these patches are based on audio captured from a no-input mixer, an instrument contrived by connecting the output of an audio mixer with its input to incite feedback. The third in a series of four titles, each centered on a different mixer, this release features a four channel model, circa 1980’s, by a Japanese manufacturer.

The timbres generated by the mixer used in Mixer Feedback model Y MM30 K can be described as “smooth, clean and glossy”, according to Taichi Furudate. He also adds that the direct outputs, which are unaffected by the master section graphic equalizer, allow for complex routings, highlighting its suitability as a no-input mixer. Another feature of this particular model is an onboard echo effects unit the manufacturer peculiarly refers to as the “Bucket Brigade Delay” (“BBD”), the sound of which he characterizes as “retro and lofi like early tape music”. Its plastic casing and its light weight, as well as the fact that it was purchased for 500 Japanese yen (roughly $6) in 2010, coupled with its set of features and “smooth, clean and glossy” sound may indicate that the model was presumably inexpensive, yet offered desirable value for the money in its time.

Designed by Taichi Furudate, these patches are based on audio captured from a no-input mixer, an instrument contrived by connecting the output of an audio mixer with its input to incite feedback. The second in a series of four titles, each centered on a different mixer, this release features a contemporary, mass market model by a German manufacturer.

The timbres generated by the mixer used in Mixer Feedback model B K can be described as “like a cheap digital synthesizer”, according to Taichi Furudate. Due to its inexpensiveness and replaceability, this model is the most violently handled mixer in his collection (it has been thrown during performances), and bares damages to its electronics, resulting in a highly “customized” device. Driven by his preference for physical interaction and “rough and chaotic” behaviors of no-input mixers, this model is often configured with a piezoelectric microphone and a small speaker to form the feedback loop. In this configuration, the angle, position, and pressure of the two components serve as parameters in which to acoustically shape the feedback signal, by introducing precariousness and imperfection.

10 Soundware, a new extensional sound design imprint of 9 Soundware, has launched with the release of Mixer Feedback model Y EM-90A K, a soundset for Native Instruments Kontakt 5.

Designed by Taichi Furudate, these patches are based on audio captured from a no-input mixer, an instrument contrived by connecting the output of an audio mixer with its input to incite feedback. The first in a series of four titles, each centered on a different mixer, this release features an extremely rare, antiquated (presumably dating back to the early 1970’s), and idiosyncratic model by a Japanese manufacturer.

As a member of a duo, Shimettainu, whose instrumentation consists solely of no-input mixers (even signal processors are not used in their performances), Taichi Furudate’s prowess in the art of mixer feedback is extreme. Repurposing audio mixers as oscillators and tweaking onboard settings, he induces gradational shifts between timbres such as squealing, serrated noise akin to low pitched sawtooth waves, and many others, ranging from euphonic to discordant, sonorous to shrill. More radical forms of interaction with his sounds involve methods such as tampering with cables and on/off switches.

The timbres generated by the mixer used in Mixer Feedback model Y EM-90A K can be described as “like a vintage analog synthesizer”, according to Taichi Furudate. He also characterizes the feedback as “uncontrollable”. Perhaps the most peculiar in the design behind this particular model is the onboard drum machine (patches based on its loops, along with their corresponding Standard MIDI Files, included). Also present is a spring reverb, which can be excited by beating the large, heavy mixer. Despite its limited usability as a conventional mixing device, apparent with the absence of pan pots (separate switches for the left and right outputs provide the only means of panning), the by-product of its very limitations is its suitability as a no-input mixer, allowing for performance techniques not possible with other models.

The sound design executed in Kontakt 5 transposes mixer feedback to the realm of synthesis. The sampler’s formidable tapestry of DSP tools were savvily exploited to contort the captured audio to synthesizer paradigms (tuned patches based on seamlessly looped tones and drum kit presets) and into noise instruments, yielding patches ranging from stunningly simple to stupendously intricate. As a universal feature within the sound set, MIDI cc#1 was programmed to trigger vivid timbral transformations.